Julian Edelman won three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots while enjoying a 12-year NFL career that some believe should put the wide receiver in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
To say he had a bunch of classic moments, on and off the field, would be an understatement.
But Edelman, who announced his retirement last week, revealed Wednesday on the “Pardon My Take” podcast that his favorite memory was the Patriots’ overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the 2018 AFC Championship Game.
That upset victory punched New England’s ticket to Super Bowl LIII, where Edelman then won MVP honors in the Patriots’ 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
“The sheer fact that my generation of Patriots, we never won on the road in the playoffs,” Edelman explained. ” … We got beat in Denver twice by Denver (in the AFC Championship Game) — close games, last plays of the game — and to go into Kansas City, which, that place gets rocking and that team’s a really good team. To go in and get that W against the odds of that game, it was special. That’s a special one. The flight home — those are what you’re going to miss, the flights. That was a fun game.”
Edelman caught seven passes for 96 yards in the win over Kansas City. He made 10 grabs for 141 yards in the win over Los Angeles. Those two performance, obviously, highlight Edelman’s knack for rising to the occasion on the biggest stage, often serving as Tom Brady’s most trusted target.
Edelman touched on a wide range of topics during his “Pardon My Take” appearance, including his favorite play, what’s next in retirement and how he feels about riding off into the sunset.
It sounds like the book really is closed on his impressive career, even if Rob Gronkowski, among others, can’t help but wonder whether the 34-year-old ultimately will return to the gridiron.
